between-intakes Private Grant

Lenovo Evolve Small Grant Program

Lenovo (with partners Intel and Microsoft)

$25K cash + ~$10K tech

Visit official program ↗ See if you qualify — free

The short version

AI grant for small business

Lenovo's Evolve Small is a recurring small-business grant initiative that pairs cash funding with an AI-focused technology package and mentorship. Each annual cycle, Lenovo awards 10 small businesses a grant package totaling roughly $35,000 — a $25,000 cash grant plus a customized technology bundle valued at about $10,000 (including Lenovo AI PCs) — along with mentorship through the Goodie Nation and Chantel Cohen programs and AI-integration coaching. The program targets small businesses in specific major U.S. (and Canadian) metro areas, with revenue between roughly $100,000 and $7.5M. Now reframed around AI adoption with partners Intel and Microsoft, Evolve Small has run multiple consecutive cycles (10 winners in 2025) and reopens annually.

Funding type: Grant
Level: Private
Amount range: $25,000 – $25,000
Realistic amount: Winners receive a flat $25,000 cash grant plus a ~$10,000 technology package. The cash porti…
Deadline: Annual — applications typically open early in the year (2025 cycle closed February 17, 2025); program reopens each cycle
Status: between-intakes
States: Georgia, Illinois, Texas, California, Florida, Washington, D.C.
Payment model: lump-sum

Who qualifies

Small business located in the greater metro area of one of: Atlanta GA, Chicago IL, Dallas TX, Houston TX, Los Angeles CA, Miami FL, San Diego CA, Washington DC (or Toronto/Vancouver, Canada)
Annual revenue between approximately $100,000 and $7,500,000 over the previous 12 months
75 or fewer employees
Must not have raised more than $3,000,000 in investment capital
Registered LLC, C Corporation, S Corporation, or similar (Canadian equivalent)
Uses Microsoft 365 as its primary business operating environment

Hard requirements

Must be an incorporated business
Minimum $100,000 annual revenue

What it covers

Eligible expenses

Technology and equipment (AI PCs included as in-kind)
Business growth and operations
Marketing and digital adoption
Working capital

Ineligible expenses

No detailed published ineligible-expense list

How to apply

1

Confirm metro and business eligibility

Verify your business is located in an eligible metro area, has revenue between ~$100K and $7.5M, 75 or fewer employees, is a registered LLC/Corp, has raised under $3M, and uses Microsoft 365.

~0.5 hrs
2

Open the Evolve Small application during the active window

Applications open during the annual cycle (e.g., closing mid-February in 2025). Begin the application on the Lenovo Evolve Small site and have your business details ready.

~0.5 hrs
3

Complete the application and AI/business narrative

Describe your business, your growth goals, and — given the program's AI focus — how Lenovo technology and AI tools would help you grow. Concrete, AI-relevant use cases align with the program's current theme.

~3 hrs
4

Submit before the deadline

Submit before the cycle close date. Ten winners are selected and receive cash, the technology package, and mentorship.

~0.25 hrs

Insider tip

The hard gates do most of the filtering here: the metro restriction, the $100K–$7.5M revenue band, the under-$3M raised cap, and the Microsoft 365 requirement eliminate most applicants before judging. If you clear all of them, your odds improve sharply. Lean into the AI angle — the program was relaunched around AI adoption with Intel and Microsoft, so a specific plan for using Lenovo AI PCs/tools to grow is on-theme.

Deadline & timing

Recurring annual cadence. The 2025 application window closed February 17, 2025 with 10 winners announced. As of mid-2026 the contest is between intakes ('sign up to be notified when the next Evolve Small grant application period opens'). No single fixed upcoming date is published, so deadlineDate is null.

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Last reviewed 2026. GrantCompass is an independent funding-discovery tool and is not affiliated with any government agency. Always confirm details on the official program page.